


Two Angels and Two Demons Walk into a Family Therapy Session

by StarlightPhoenix



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Archangels as Siblings (Good Omens), Characters go to Therapy, Crowley Was Raphael Before Falling (Good Omens), Family Drama, Gen, Mentions of the Fall (Good Omens), POV Outsider, Post-Almost Apocalypse (Good Omens), Post-Canon, an anon gave me a prompt and i loved it, someone please give these angels and demons some therapy, ya girl is back with that niche fanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24707158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightPhoenix/pseuds/StarlightPhoenix
Summary: Dr. Martin's next appointment was a family therapy session.The family consisted of four siblings. Lucifer, Michael, Gabriel, and Anthony J. Crowley. Anthony, she later learned, preferred to be called Crowley, and the other three siblings did not share that last name.The four siblings did not get along. At all.And they wanted to, Crowley explained, but they just couldn’t see eye to eye.Or, the perspective of a therapist as Michael, Gabriel, Lucifer, and Crowley go to family therapy.
Relationships: Crowley & Gabriel (Good Omens), Crowley & Michael (Good Omens), Crowley & Satan | Lucifer (Good Omens), Gabriel & Michael (Good Omens), Gabriel & Satan | Lucifer (Good Omens), Michael & Satan | Lucifer (Good Omens)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 362





	Two Angels and Two Demons Walk into a Family Therapy Session

**Author's Note:**

> I got this [amazing anon message](https://cleverlittlejay.tumblr.com/post/620431410083299328/raphael-anon-back-once-again-with-a-hilarious) about the 4 siblings going to therapy. It was already 1k words, so I decided to expand it and post it here :)

Dr. Martin was good at her job. She worked hard to become a therapist, and she genuinely believed that she could help her clients. Her belief that people were inherently good and wanted to be their best self is why she started her private practice.

Her next appointment was a family therapy session. She briefly wondered how her secretary forgot to mention that she had an appointment or that she had new clients at all, but these mistakes happen. Sometimes computers just don’t want to work, deleting emails and not saving the clients’ last names in the file. 

She read the details that her secretary managed to save. The family consisted of four siblings. Lucifer, Michael, Gabriel, and Anthony J. Crowley. Anthony, she later learned, preferred to be called Crowley, and the other three siblings did not share that last name. 

The four siblings did not get along. At all.

And they wanted to, Crowley explained, but they just couldn’t see eye to eye. 

It was nothing new to Dr. Martin. Families weren’t always the perfect picture found in movies. Sometimes parents brought their young kids, looking for some explanation as to why Jake didn’t get along with his brother or sister, only to be disappointed when the answer was that kids have their own emotions and can’t be forced to like everyone. Other times, like now, adults themselves wondered why they couldn’t get along with their siblings, only to be surprised when the answer was that their parents constantly compared each other and forced them into a competition that had no winners. 

So, Dr. Martin was used to siblings. She had her fair share of mediating sibling sessions, and her clients always had a better understanding of the situation, regardless of whether or not they actually liked each other by the end. 

The first step was understanding how they felt about each other and why they themselves believed they couldn’t get along. 

“It all started when Mother kicked me out,” Lucifer started dramatically. “More specifically, she had Michael kick me out because–”

“Because,” Michael interrupted, “you were an awful son who refused to listen to her. Causing trouble, thinking you’re better than her. _Asking questions.”_ That last part was clearly directed at Crowley, who only offered a light shrug. 

“Interrupting isn’t kind, Michael,” Dr. Martin said. “Please let Lucifer talk, and then you can say your part.”

If looks could kill, Dr. Martin would’ve died a hundred times over in her career. Michael’s glare was terrifying, but she’d seen it all before. 

“Yeah Michael, interrupting isn’t very kind of you,” Lucifer taunted. “As I was _saying,_ our mom, horrible person that she is–” Here, Michael’s glare intensified. Gabriel also looked uncomfortable at the accusation, but he and Crowley respected the no-interruptions rule. “–decided that her children weren’t worth the trouble of keeping around. So, we were kicked out to the curb. Abandoned. All so mom doesn’t have to deal with us.”

“Do you think you deserved that?”

She thought Lucifer would immediately deny it. He was clearly still resentful of their mother kicking them out, _abandoning them,_ in his own words. But he didn’t deny it. A heavy silence fell in the room. None of the others denied it, either. The four of them genuinely believed that yes, he did deserve being kicked out. 

Lucifer shrugged. “She was never wrong before. Why start now?”

Lucifer, Dr. Martin noticed, had an air of forced casualness. He didn’t want others to notice that he was hurt or upset. He was desperate to look put-together, to be in control of himself. He was hurt by his mother’s actions, but he refused to admit it, at least in front of his other siblings. 

She turned to Crowley, the other victim of their mother. “Would you agree with that? That your mother was right in kicking you out?”

Crowley, like Lucifer, just shrugged. “Must be. I didn’t really do anything wrong. Just asked some questions. But like Luc said, she was never wrong before.”

It was a confusing answer. Crowley admitted that he did nothing wrong, but he still believed that it was deserved, as if being kicked out was an appropriate punishment for asking questions. 

But it was only half the story. The other half was with Michael and Gabriel who stayed behind and also forced them out with their mother’s approval. 

Dr. Martin turned to Michael, who took that as their turn to start. Michael directed her words at her, but her glare was focused on Lucifer. 

“Lucifer is nothing but trouble. Everything was perfect before he started questioning her. And he dragged everyone else down with him. He deserved everything he got for that. He’s lucky he was kicked out instead of sentenced to death.” 

Dr. Martin took a moment to process that. She’s worked with siblings who didn’t like each other, but hatred to the point of murder was new to her. None of them looked surprised at Michael’s vehement declaration. 

Lucifer himself gave Michael a lazy smirk. “Who would bother you if I was gone, Michael?” 

Dr. Martin turned towards the final sibling. Gabriel, like Crowley, didn’t speak often. He was content to watch Michael and Lucifer argue. But he was still uncomfortable during those arguments. He wouldn’t look at either of them, keeping his eyes down. His hands would fidget with his sleeves and he would start to silently mouth a word before stopping himself. 

Unlike Michael, Gabriel didn’t immediately start talking as soon as her attention was on him. He thought them over, and a quick glance towards Michael told Dr. Martin that he feared her rejection. 

She kept her tone soft and soothing to keep from startling him, hoping to encourage him to speak openly and without that fear of judgement and rejection. “What do you think about what happened, Gabriel?” 

“It happened,” he said simply. “No one can change the past.” 

She didn’t push. 

The final picture was a gloomy one. Their mother kicked out Lucifer and Crowley due to rebelliousness. The two questioned her authority and so they had to be removed before they corrupted any others. Now, only after the disappearance of their mother, the siblings decided to get together again and reconnect.

A cult, Dr. Martin realized. She was working with the aftereffects of a cult. The religious names, the absolute authority, the punishment that included some kind of fire, the isolation from others, it all painted a very clear but dark picture. Lucifer and Crowley might’ve moved on, but they were still burdened with the memories. Michael, on the other hand, still believed what she was told during her childhood. She saw nothing wrong with her beliefs, and she made sure Gabriel also agreed. 

She thanked them for their openness and had her secretary book their next appointment. 

Then, she realized how much she didn’t know about cults. She owned a private practice, she didn’t work with law enforcement or social services to have any experience with cults. She needed research. She read articles on cult-related family dynamics and trauma. She even called her old colleague for some direction. 

By the time the next session came, she felt more prepared to help them with their trauma. 

-

The next session, the two eldest siblings focused on each other. As Lucifer and Michael went on, Crowley and Gabriel seemed content to watch them argue as Dr. Martin futilely attempted to control the session. 

“Even now, you’re a pest,” Michael sneered, ignoring the no-interruptions rule. “Your demons cause nothing but trouble and you barely control them.”

_Inner demons were difficult to control, sometimes spiraling and causing issues in real life. It takes strength to admit that you need support in fighting your battles._

Lucifer spoke before Dr. Martin could voice that. 

“Maybe you should control your angels, Michael. Always wandering into trouble, making friends with demons and then getting hurt. It’s almost as if they don’t respect your command.”

“Tell your demons to stop fraternizing with the enemy!”

“Hey,” Crowley interrupted. “I thought that sides don’t matter anymore. I can fraternize with an angel if I wanted to.”

“Now, yes, but not before,” Michael said patronizingly, as if she was leading the session rather than Dr. Martin. “But you endangered yourself and Aziraphale by being with him.”

“Not like Aziraphale was in danger,” Gabriel grumbled. “He got away with it. Didn’t even have the decency to die properly.”

 _That_ was alarming. Dr. Martin assumed that Gabriel would be less prone to violence, given his apparent distress at Michael’s jabs at Lucifer. She mentally edited her notes to include Gabriel’s acceptance of violence towards those he believed deserved it. That also meant that he believed that Lucifer and Crowley didn’t deserve to be punished by their mother, only saying so to appeal to Michael. 

The session ended without any progress. 

It was fine, Dr. Martin rationed. Progress is not always linear, and she needed to first create a safe space where they were comfortable speaking up. If nothing else, she learned more about how the four of them interacted with each other during conflicts. 

It was always Lucifer and Michael who instigated those conflicts, as if it’s the only way they know how to be with each other. Gabriel preferred to stay silent during arguments about the punishment or their mother, but he was willing to speak up on other topics. Similarly, Crowley was just as silent during those two arguments but had no issues voicing his opinions during other conversations. More than that, Crowley seemed keenly aware of when Michael and Lucifer’s argument was winding down and knew exactly what to say to keep them arguing, as if it was entertainment. 

Dr. Martin also realized that her original theory was wrong. It wasn’t a cult. It was the mob. 

Different sides, angels and demons, both told that the other is the enemy. Perhaps Lucifer and Crowley disagreed with their “mother’s” rule and were punished for noncompliance. Michael was clearly the enforcer, punishing those who stepped out of line. It blurred the definition of “sibling,” but it explained the disdain that Lucifer and Michael had for each other. 

This realization led to a new line of research. The mob was harder to research from a psychological or counseling therapy perspective, and Dr. Martin ended up making even more calls to colleagues and old professors. 

“First a cult and now the mob,” her old classmate laughed. “You have some interesting clients.”

Dr. Martin refused to admit that she was wrong about the cult. No one had to know. 

-

She changed her strategy during their next session. The past was important to understanding a person, but perhaps it was better to focus on the present. The siblings were clearly upset about their past and the divide it caused, but they wanted to move forward. Now, having acknowledged the pain of their past, it was time to think about what the future holds. 

Dr. Martin didn’t let them get distracted. She had one important question and she refused to let the others take control of the session. 

As soon as everyone was settled, she turned to Michael. 

“Despite everything that happened, despite Lucifer and Crowley being kicked out and you being forced to lead, how do you feel about Lucifer _right now?”_

Michael didn’t answer immediately, which was a good sign. The other three siblings watched her, and Dr. Martin knew that her response would influence the future of their relationship. When Michael answered, she didn’t look at Lucifer or speak to him directly, but she knew that he was there and listening to her. 

“I don’t hate him,” Michael said slowly. “He’s still my brother. I didn’t have a choice, you know. I had to do it.” 

Yes, Dr. Martin could imagine the lack of choice. It was likely that if Michael didn’t do as told, she would’ve also been punished, perhaps worse than Lucifer and Crowley. 

“I don’t hate you, either,” Lucifer said. There was that forced air of casualness around him, protecting Michael from rejection. “You’re still my baby sister. No fall can change that, Micah.” 

_Progress._ It took three sessions and a lot of pain and bitterness, but they were making progress. Michael and Lucifer finally broke through their hard shells to admit that there is a possibility to move forward in their relationship with genuine love and affection. That kind of hope was why Dr. Martin was a therapist in the first place. 

Lucifer glanced at Gabriel. “I don’t hate you either, even if you're annoying.”

 _“You’re_ annoying,” Gabriel grumbled, blushing red, but he looked pleased at the inclusion. 

“I _suppose_ you’re not the worst,” Michael said reluctantly. “At least you kept Crowley out of trouble.”

“I never get into trouble!”

The other three gave him a flat, disbelieving look. Crowley huffed but didn’t argue. 

There were no more heartfelt confessions during the session, but Dr. Martin was content with the results. Expectations were tricky in therapy and she didn’t want to push them to speak before they were comfortable. The conversations fell back into casual territory, but there were fewer insults or interruptions. 

When Dr. Martin scheduled their next appointment, she had hope. She was already creating an outline that would include more dialogue and encourage the younger two siblings to speak more often. Whatever their past, they were willing to work to create a better relationship between them, one that was positive and allowed them to heal their past trauma. 

Dr. Martin was good at her job. She would help bridge a 6000 year old gap of pain and misery to create a new era of peace. Not that she knew that, of course. As far as she was aware, she was just a therapist to an interesting group of siblings. 

Humans, _She_ thought in amusement, were clearly Her best creations yet.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: the working title of this fic was "give these bois some therapy i stg"
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate every hit, kudos, comment, and bookmark! 
> 
> You can find me at [cleverlittlejay.tumblr.com](https://cleverlittlejay.tumblr.com/) for more Good Omens and to talk! Feel free to come say hello!
> 
> And [here's](https://cleverlittlejay.tumblr.com/post/620853276011905024/raphael-anon-back-once-again-with-a-hilarious) the same tumblr post as above but with the link back to this fic :)


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